During minimally invasive surgical procedures, instruments may be inserted into a patient through small incisions in the abdomen, for example. A relatively small video camera (e.g., laparoscope) may also be inserted into the abdomen. The laparoscope may then provide a magnified image of inside the body to a video monitor, for example. This magnified image may provide a user, e.g., a surgeon, a “close-up” view of organs, tissues and the like. The surgeon may then utilize this view to identify, and perform a surgical intervention on, an anatomical structure by manipulating the surgical instruments while watching the video display.
Accurately identifying key anatomical features may be challenging when relying solely on the laparoscopic camera view. For example, it is often difficult to distinguish certain anatomical features. Improper identification of anatomical features may result in serious complications. Laparoscopic ultrasound, an imaging technique, is a safe, quick and effective method for identifying anatomical structures during minimally invasive surgical procedures. For example, an ultrasound probe may be inserted through an additional incision in the abdomen and may then be manipulated to obtain ultrasound images showing desired anatomical structures.
It may be difficult for a surgeon to correlate the laparoscopic camera image and the laparoscopic ultrasound image as the images are typically displayed separately. It may be challenging for a surgeon to determine the position and orientation of an ultrasound image relative to the laparoscopic camera image. A method of correlating the two views may then be desirable.